No Gym? No Problem: Alternative Conditioning Ideas for Cyclists

By Dan Kehlenbach | For Active.com

You don't need a gym to workout. With a little creativity and experimentation, you can come up with dynamic workouts to increase your strength, power, balance and stability all while having some fun in the process.

In this article we'll take a look at workouts that you can do with minimal equipment at home (or hotel while traveling) and at local parks.

Equipment

You really don't have to have any equipment to work out. One of the fundamental principles of exercise prescription is that you should learn to have complete control over your body's movements before adding any external resistance.

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That said, it is nice to have some tools in your toolbox to make you workouts more interesting and provide for some variation. Here is a list of equipment that would be helpful to have and should be able to fit in a gym bag that you can take along with you for outdoor workouts:

Some form of weight. This could be dumbbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, sand bags, water-filled jugs, etc.

Resistance bands (the kind with handles). These are great—they weigh next to nothing and can be used for all kinds of exercises.

About the Author

Dan Kehlenbach

Dan Kehlenbach has been coaching and mentoring cyclists and other endurance athletes since 1995 and is a certified coach through USA Cycling. Dan has a master's degree in Sports Medicine from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Along with John Hughes, Dan authored Distance Cycling: Your Complete Guide for Long Distance Cycling through Human Kinetics. Dan also writes for roadbikerider.com and served as a contributing editor for Ultra Cycling magazine, the official publication for the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association (UMCA).

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